Mike Nadel: Defense is dandy, and Bears don't deny it

Monday

Jul 30, 2007 at 12:01 AMJul 30, 2007 at 3:21 AM

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Mike Nadel from Bears camp, July 29

Mike Nadel

Coming off a 12-sack rookie season, out-of-nowhere defensive end sensation Mark Anderson wouldn't disclose what his goals were for 2007. I'd accept no such silliness.
"All righty then," I said in my best wise-guy voice. "I'll just write down 25."
Smiling slyly, Anderson said: "Hmmm. Maybe. That's a nice number. What's the record again? Twenty-two?"
Meanwhile, tackle Tommie Harris was talking about being more than a mere All-Pro.
"I'm on a mission: I want to be great," he said. "I want to be remembered. I want when somebody says, 'D-lineman,' they think of Tommie Harris."
Yes, members of the Bears' defense sure aim high. As well they should. I agree with end Adewale Ogunleye, who said: "I really don't see a reason we shouldn't be the number one defense in the league."
With almost-holdout Lance Briggs joining his teammates in training camp for Sunday's practice ... and with Harris and safety Mike Brown returning from injuries ... and with the Bears having acquired talented tackle Darwin Walker from Buffalo ... and with newcomer Adam Archuleta challenging to start at safety ... and with former starter Alex Brown determined to win his job back from Anderson ... and with Peanut Tillman and Nate Vasher having signed long-term contracts ... and with several impressive rookies contending for roster spots ... and with Brian Urlacher tying everything together ... well, why wouldn't the Monsters of the Midway reappear to scare the bejeepers out of offenses everywhere?
"Reappear" is the operative word. Many assume the defense carried the Bears to the Super Bowl last season, making up for an inept offense. Fans and media who really know the score, however, realize that wasn't the case.
The combination of Mike Brown's season-ending injury in Game 6 and the loss of Harris in Game 12 turned the defense from great to pretty good. More often than not as the season progressed, the Bears were forced to outscore opponents, either with the offense leading the way or with Devin Hester performing kick-return magic.
A defense that hadn't allowed 300 yards in any of the first 10 games closed out the regular season by giving up 352, 346, 433, 357, 327 and 373 yards. In three postseason games, the mighty Bears yielded an average of 370 yards. In the Super Bowl, Indianapolis moved the football as if Urlacher, Briggs & Co. had been turned away at the gate.
If you call that dominant, you might as well call me Ernest Hemingway.
Why, then, do I believe the Bears' defense can return to its disruptive, dynamic, dangerous ways? Well, try to convince me that another team's D has more speed, more quality and more impact players, and I'll wonder if you've been sampling Grandpa's moonshine.
I admit that much of this is based on two leaps of faith. One is that the defense responds as well to new coordinator Bob Babich (promoted from linebackers coach) as it did to the departed Ron Rivera (who clashed with coach Lovie Smith). The other involves Harris, who must be as good as he was before he tore a tendon in his upper left leg.
Smith's scheme relies heavily upon energy and ferocity from Harris' position, so there will be plenty of finger-crossing and knocking on wood in Bear Country.
Lovable lawbreaker Tank "Guns" Johnson was booted off the team and valuable backups Ian Scott and Alfonso Boone signed elsewhere, leaving the Bears' interior line short on depth -- until Sunday's trade for Walker, whose 26.5 sacks since 2002 ranks fifth among all NFL tackles.
In addition to sharing time with 2006 third-rounder Dusty Dvoracek, Walker will serve as an insurance policy in case Harris can't make it all the way back. Still, teammates would rather not contemplate such a scenario.
"He's the best defensive tackle in the league," Ogunleye said. "As he goes, we go."
As true as that is, the Bears are loaded (no Tank Johnson pun intended) with big-play defenders.
Could the safeties be better tacklers? Of course. Could the cornerbacks have more speed? Sure. Is Hunter Hillenmeyer a linebacking star? Hardly.
Thirty-one other teams wish they had such problems -- and the Bears know it.
To a man, they'll tell you they're the best. Briggs says he deserves a $60 million contract. Anderson, a fifth-round nobody a year ago, is gunning for the all-time NFL sack record. Harris is calling himself "The Real Deal." In the end, overconfidence could be the Bears' biggest obstacle.
"Sitting out last year when the guys went to the Super Bowl was rough," Harris said. "I plan to help us get back there. And this time, we'll win it."
He might be right -- if he and his mates play the game as well as they talk it.
Mike Nadel (mikenadel@sbcglobal.net) is the Chicago sports columnist for GateHouse News Service. Read his blog, The Baldest Truth, at www.thebaldesttruth.com.